The inventor of the present invention proposed a rotary engine, which has an improved structure to solve the disadvantages experienced with conventional engines, such as wankel engines, etc., and was disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-20840 (Application Date: Mar. 14, 2005). The rotary engine of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-20840 comprises an engine body. The engine body includes a compression cylinder, which is configured to have a slightly distorted cylinder shape (an elliptical cylinder shape) and has at a predetermined position thereof an intake hole, through which fuel/air mixture or air is drawn into the compression cylinder. The engine body further includes an output cylinder, which has a slightly distorted cylinder shape (an elliptical cylinder shape) and is formed through the engine body in a direction parallel to the compression cylinder. A discharge hole, through which combustion gas is discharged, is formed at a predetermined position in the output cylinder. The engine body further includes a combustion chamber, which is formed between the compression cylinder and the output cylinder in a direction parallel both to the compression cylinder and to the output cylinder. The combustion chamber is divided into two cylindrical bores, which are symmetrical to each other, and each of which communicates with the compression cylinder through an intake gate and communicates with the output cylinder through a discharge gate. The rotary engine further comprises a compression rotor, which is eccentrically provided in the compression cylinder of the engine body and rotates such that fuel/air mixture or air is drawn into the compression cylinder through the intake hole, compressed, and supplied into the combustion chamber through the intake gates. The rotary engine further comprises an ignition device, which is provided in the combustion chamber of the engine body to ignite and explode the fuel/air mixture or air compressed and supplied by the compression rotor, and an output rotor which is eccentrically disposed in the output cylinder of the engine body and rotated using propulsive force generated by the combustion gas supplied from the compression cylinder through the discharge gates. The rotary engine further comprises a plurality of valves, which are provided in respective bores of the combustion chamber and control the intake gates and the discharge gates such that a compression process, a combustion process and an output process are sequentially conducted depending on rotational positions of the compression rotor and the output rotor. The rotary engine further comprises a synchronizing means, which rotates the compression rotor in conjunction with rotation of the output rotor, and an axial sealing means, which seals the compression cylinder, the combustion chamber and the output cylinder of the engine body. The present invention relates to a sliding vane to be used in a compression rotor and an output rotor which are components of the rotary engine of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-20840.
Airtightness is a critical requirement to ensure the practicability of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-20840. Particularly, it is very important to ensure airtightness between the inner surfaces of the compression and output cylinders and the sliding vanes of the compression rotor and the output rotor, and airtightness between the axially opposed ends of the sliding vanes and the covers (in the case that a sealing plate is provided inside each cover, airtightness with sealing plates, and, hereinafter, both the cover and the sealing plate, are abbreviated as “cover”).
It is also important to ensure airtightness between the covers and the bodies of the compression rotor and the output rotor, but means for achieving these will be declared in another patent to be filed by the inventor of the present invention.
If airtightness between the inner surface of the compression cylinder and the sliding vane of the compression rotor and airtightness between the inner surface of the output cylinder and the sliding vane of the output rotor are not ensured, in the compression cylinder, some high-pressure fuel/air mixture or air may not be supplied from the compression cylinder into the combustion chamber but may leak into the intake hole, and, in the output cylinder, some high-pressure combustion gas may not be used for rotating the output rotor due to leakage thereof into the discharge hole. In this case, it is obvious that the efficiency of the rotary engine will be markedly reduced.
Furthermore, if airtightness between the covers and the axially opposite ends of the sliding vane is not ensured, in the compression cylinder, some high-pressure mixture or air may not be supplied from the compression cylinder into the combustion chamber, but may leak into the intake hole, and, in the output cylinder, some high-pressure combustion gas may not be used for rotating the output rotor but may be directly discharged through the discharge hole. In this case, it is obvious that the efficiency of the rotary engine will be markedly reduced.